Foreign demand
French Buyers Fall To Fourth Place In 2025
French demand for property in Spain slipped further down the rankings in 2025, falling behind the Dutch for the first time on record. Once one of the dominant buyer groups, the French now account for a steadily shrinking share of the foreign market.
For decades buyers from France were among the most important foreign purchasers of homes in Spain. Traditionally they ranked second only to buyers from the United Kingdom, forming one of the pillars of foreign demand.
That is no longer the case. In 2025 French buyers slipped to fourth place, overtaken by the Netherlands for the first time ever, according to the latest data from the Spanish Land Registrars’ Associatioin. The top positions are now held by the British, followed by buyers from Germany and the Dutch, with the French trailing behind.
French buyers acquired around 4,985 homes in Spain in 2025, a marginal year-on-year decline of just under 1%. While that might seem relatively stable in isolation, it masks a deeper shift: foreign demand overall grew by about 4.9% in the same period. In other words, French demand is losing ground relative to the rest of the international market.
The longer-term trend is even clearer. Since 2015, purchases by French buyers have grown modestly—reflected in a sales index of 121 compared to 208 for the foreign market as a whole. Their share of all foreign purchases has steadily declined, falling to around 5.1% in 2025, down from almost 8.8% at its peak.
From rich neighbours to relative parity
Historically, French buyers were drawn to Spain for a simple reason: it was cheaper. For decades the French crossed the border to buy second homes in places like Catalonia, where property offered better value than comparable homes in southern France.
But that economic logic has weakened.
In recent years Spain’s economy—particularly its housing market—has been comparatively dynamic, while France has struggled with sluggish growth and mounting structural challenges. The result is that French households no longer enjoy the same purchasing advantage they once had when buying property south of the border.
In some parts of Spain the price gap has narrowed dramatically, and in certain desirable areas the balance has even flipped. Spain is no longer simply the cheaper neighbour.
A different kind of French buyer emerging
That does not mean French demand will disappear altogether. What may emerge instead is a shift in the type of French buyer.
Rather than holiday-home purchasers, a growing number of French citizens appear to be relocating to Spain, particularly to cities such as Barcelona. Lifestyle appeal, climate, and professional opportunities are increasingly attracting French residents looking for a change of scenery.
However, this relocation trend is unlikely to compensate for the gradual decline in second-home demand. The traditional cross-border holiday-home market that once sustained strong French buying activity is simply not what it used to be.
For now, the numbers tell a clear story: French buyers remain an important presence in Spain’s property market, but their relative influence is slowly fading as new nationalities—especially the Dutch—move ahead in the rankings.
Heads-up: the latest figures from the Spanish Notaries’ Association have just landed, giving us the full picture of foreign demand for Spanish property in 2025—and the headline is a market that held steady overall but shifted beneath the surface.
A total of 138,254 property purchases in Spain involved a foreign buyer in 2025, down just 0.6% compared to the previous year. In other words, foreign demand barely moved.
That stability looks more impressive when placed in context. Purchases involving foreign buyers remain around 22% above the ten-year average and almost 80% higher than five years ago—clear evidence of how much the international segment has expanded since the pandemic.
However, foreign demand lost some ground within the overall market. Spanish buyers increased their activity by 6.7% to 596,538 purchases, meaning the foreign market share slipped to 18.8%, down from 19.9% a year earlier. The foreign share remains well within the range seen over the last decade but clearly eased in 2025.
British still number one—but declining
By nationality, the UK remains the biggest foreign market, with 10,925 purchases, though British demand fell by 8.3% year-on-year. Germans remained in second place with 9,126 purchases, also down slightly.
Italy moved into third place with 8,948 purchases after growing 6.5%, while Dutch buyers continued their impressive expansion, rising 12.3% to 8,354 transactions. The Netherlands is now one of the fastest-growing segments of the foreign market.
French buyers, historically one of Spain’s largest groups, declined slightly to 7,654 purchases.
Further down the ranking, several markets had a difficult year. Belgian demand fell by 11%, Polish demand dropped nearly 9%, and Chinese buyers declined almost 10%. Russian demand continued its long contraction, plunging 22%.
On the positive side, Portuguese buyers surged 20%, while Americans increased purchases by 3.5% and Ukrainians by 2.3%.
Valencian Region dominates the map as usual
By region, the Valencian Community remained the undisputed centre of foreign demand with 39,338 purchases—almost 29% of the entire foreign market—despite a 5% year-on-year decline.
Andalusia came second with 25,947 purchases, and was one of the few large regions to grow, edging up 1.5%.
Catalonia also performed well, rising 4.3% to 22,465 purchases.
Elsewhere the picture was weaker. Madrid saw foreign purchases drop almost 9%, while both the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands also recorded notable declines.
One small standout was Galicia, where foreign purchases jumped 12%, albeit from a relatively low base.
Momentum fading in the second half
Taken together, the latest figures suggest a foreign market that remains large and resilient but is clearly evolving. Demand is holding up overall, but growth is becoming more selective—both by nationality and by region.
However, the full-year numbers hide a weakening trend as the year progressed. Looking just at the second half of 2025, foreign purchases were down 4.4% year-on-year, with double-digit declines from several key markets including Belgium, the UK, Russia and China. Only a handful of countries—most notably Italy and the Netherlands—managed to record growth during this period.
In other words, the relatively solid annual result was flattered by a strong first half that offset a noticeably weaker second half. The momentum going into 2026 therefore appears to have been fading rather than strengthening.
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